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Union overwhelmingly approves school district salary agreements

Pinellas County School (PCS) employees could receive a 75 cent per hour raise retroactive to July 1 as 96% of Pinellas Educational Support Professionals Association bargaining members approved new salary agreements. The district would also cover 80% of health care premium increases. The school board must now offer their approval Aug. 21.

Rays donate skateboards to St. Pete school

The Tampa Bay Rays will donate 150 skateboards built by staff members to Academy Prep Center of St. Petersburg students on their first day of school Monday. They will also receive a helmet and lessons from Boards for Bros and Girls Sk8 volunteers. The initiative is part of the City Connect “Grit x Glow” uniform rollout celebrating Tampa Bay’s “deeply rooted counterculture scenes in skate.”

Report: Largo among nation’s ‘least safe’ neighborhoods

SmartAsset recently analyzed 360 neighborhoods within a 15-to-45-miute drive of the nation’s 100 largest cities to rank the most and least safe. Largo placed No. 352. The personal finance platform compared per capita rates for  violent crime (.0185) and motor vehicle death (.034), as well as drug overdoses per 100,000 residents (13.78) and excessive drinking rates (20.3%) to determine its report.

Hurricane Debby washes WWII message ashore

A woman in Safety Harbor told WFLA that she found a peculiar glass bottle as she walked along the shoreline collecting trash left in Hurricane Debby’s aftermath. The bottle contained a weighted ball, bullet casing and a letter from a sailor stationed at the U.S. Navy Amphibious Training Base in Norfolk, Virginia, during the closing months of World War II. Suzanne Flament-Smith told WFLA that she would return the letter to the base.

Affordable special needs housing opens in St. Pete

City, Pinellas County and Boley Centers officials celebrated the Whispering Pines Apartments opening Friday morning at 2655 54th Ave. S. in St. Peterburg. The 20-unit development will provide supportive housing for families earning less than 60% of the area median income and formerly homeless residents. The city contributed $910,000 to the project, and the county acquired the land to ensure a 99-year affordability period. Mayor Ken Welch called Whispering Pines another “great example of public-private collaboration.”

Single-game Lightning tickets to go on sale Aug. 16

 The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that single-game tickets for all games at Amalie Arena during the 2024-25 season will go on sale to the public Friday, Aug. 16. Single-game tickets can only be purchased online at TampaBayLightning.com/Tickets.

School resumes Monday in Pinellas County

The 2024-2025 Pinellas County Schools year begins Monday, Aug. 12. According to a Pinellas County Schools spokesperson, the district hired more than 400 new teachers for the upcoming school year.

County to host ‘Deaf Fest’ Saturday

Pinellas County Government and the Family Center on Deafness will host a free event dedicated to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community Saturday. The third annual Deaf Fest is from 9 a.m. until noon at the Florida Botanical Gardens. It will feature free hurricane kits, wellness screenings, alert equipment for the deaf and pertinent emergency preparation information.

Greenlane announces new grand opening date

WalletHub recently released its annual “Most Pet-Friendly Cities” rankings, and St. Petersburg placed 7th. Tampa ranked second nationally, and both cities received low pet budget scores. The personal finance platform compared the 100 largest cities across 23 metrics to determine its list, including veterinarian costs, walkability and pet businesses per capita.

Tampa Bay dominates ‘most pet-friendly cities’ rankings

WalletHub recently released its annual “Most Pet-Friendly Cities” rankings, and St. Petersburg placed 7th. Tampa ranked second nationally, and both cities received low pet budget scores. The personal finance platform compared the 100 largest cities across 23 metrics to determine its list, including veterinarian costs, walkability and pet businesses per capita.

County provides sandbag storage, disposal information

Pinellas County officials have distributed over 21,000 sandbags this year, including more than 3,400 in the days preceding Hurricane Debby. They encourage recipients to store clean sandbags in a dry area for future use. However, sewage, animal waste, oil and other pollutants can contaminate sandbags that encounter floodwaters, and residents must keep those away from waterbodies and public areas. Officials say to bring used sandbags to the Waste Disposal Complex.

Engineering firm relocates St. Pete headquarters

St. Petersburg-based George F. Young, a 105-year-old engineering firm, is moving its corporate headquarters. The company recently announced that it signed a long-term lease to occupy the second and fifth floors of an office building at 830 Central Ave. The firm will leave its current location at 299 Dr. MLK Jr. St. in the spring of 2025.

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